“Those who play rarely become brittle in the face of stress or lose the healing capacity for humor.” -Stuart Brown, MD
Since 2020 and the height of pandemic lockdowns I have noticed several trends with my clients and my personal relationships alike. One of my favorite podcasts Plain English (10/10 would recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) talks about this in several episodes in different ways, but one is particular is Why America is Suffering a 'Friendship Recession' the other episode that has inspired this event is Happiness in America, Part 1: The Secret to a 'Good Life,' According to an 80-Year Study. "The episode is about the longest study on happiness in U.S. history — the Harvard Study of Adult Development. Our guests are the study's director and associate director, Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz. They are the authors of a new book, 'The Good Life,' about what their study should teach all of us about the secret to a long and fulfilling life." Spoiler alert 🚨... their findings point to social engagement being the greatest indicator of long-term happiness.
Now that Trauma Healing Collective has emerged from it's metaphorical cocoon 🦋 from the last month of major transitions, we finally have the time and the space to bring this idea to fruition. Our very first event will be a "Board Game" theme. We are asking for a suggested donation of $5 per person to cover overhead expenses, but we never want that to stop someone from participating. So, if you want to participate, please don't let that be a barrier.
What to Expect
In order to make the event Trauma-Informed, we are asking that everyone read and agree to follow Trauma Healing Collective's Client Rights and Responsibilities as well as our Group Procedures and Guidelines. This is to ensure everyone is on the same page and in agreement to operate under the same respectful guidelines to maintain a safe and fun environment for everyone involved. Kimberly Wilder, LMHC with Wilder Wellness, LLC will be hosting the event to ensure everyone is adhering to those guidelines. However, she plans to participate in the fun with everyone as well! She may or may not be slightly competitive (in the most fun way possible of course)! 🤣
Again, the first event is a "Board Game" theme. We are asking that everyone bring your favorite board game, favorite shareable snack, and favorite non-alcoholic beverage. We will number each board game and draw numbers at random to determine which games will be played. Depending on the number of participants we may be able to have multiple games going at once or we may only play one game at a time.
This inaugural event will be held on Tuesday, May 21st from 7-9pm. Click HERE to sign up. Feel free to comment on this post with ideas for future fun nights as we plan to start doing these on a monthly basis.